268 STORY OF A LOST ARCHIPELAGO. 



the natives during his sojournings in the Western Pacific, I need 

 not here enter. It will be sufficient for me to remark that they had 

 better have been buried in the oblivion which is most fittino: for 

 such deeds of heartless cruelty. Mr. Jacobs, in his attempt to de- 

 scribe the discoveries of the voyage with which we are more par- 

 ticularly concerned, exercises an amusing freedom in dealing with 

 the explorations of the famous early navigators in this region. In- 

 stead of adding to our knowledge of these seas, by his presumption, 

 he lias thrown discredit on the whole of his narrative ; and it is 

 only by the insertion in his account of a rude sketch-map of New 

 Guinea and the islands south-east of it that he has rescued his 

 narrative from utter confusion. There w'o see, that b}'' Bidera he 

 means New Britain ; by Eraeno, New Ireland ; Bougainville is 

 honoured by the retention of his name for the large island which 

 he discovered ; whilst the other large land-masses of the Solomon 

 Group would have had their identities hopelessly lost in the narra- 

 tive under the appellations of Baropee, Soterimba, and Cambendo, 

 had it not been for the rude map attached. References to dates are 

 systematically avoided by Mr. Jacobs ; however, it would appear 

 that probably, in 1835 or 1836, they extended their cruise to the 

 islands of the Solomon Group. Coasting along the west side of 

 Bougainville Island, they sailed through the straits of that name, 

 and skirting the north coasts of Choiseul (Baropee) and Isabel 

 (S cterimba), the}" turned Cape Prieto and steered S. by E. Sailing 

 by a singular rock like a ship under sail (the Two Tree Islet of the 

 chart), their course lay through beautiful verdant islands ; and then 

 passing a volcanic island wdth steam issuing from the crater on its 

 summit (the Sesarga of the Spaniards and the Savo of the present 

 day), the lofty lands of Cambendo (Guadalcanal-) appeared in view. 

 Coasting westward, along the north side of Guadalcanal-, they were 

 visited by Tarlaro, the King(?) of Cambendo, who was accompanied 

 by a great number of natives. On the following day, they visited a 

 large village, where they were friendly received ; and shortly after- 

 wards they left the group, steering southward and passing Rennell 

 Island. ^ 



■ In November, 1838, Dumont D'Urville,^ the French navigator, 

 sighted the Solomon Group, in his passage westward from Santa 



tuJes. His reply was that he was already acquainted with him as " uu fabiicateur du 

 coiites." {" Voyage au Pole Sud." 1837-1840. Introduction, p. Ixvii.) 

 ^ " Voyage au Pole Sud et dans I'Oceanie." 1837-40. Paris, 1841. 



